Letters to the editor for Oct. 16, 2008

Thursday

Oct 16, 2008 at 6:56 AMOct 16, 2008 at 7:11 AM

In response to the article "Coach under scrutiny for alleged assault" (Oct. 9), I wanted to write this letter on behalf of all the players in Marion County who played for both Coach Richard Kennedy and Coach Brent Hall.These men were two of the toughest and most hard-nosed coaches ever. I had the privilege of playing four years for Coach Richard Kennedy and what I learned from him I still carry to this day.We had three- and four-hour practices with little to no water break. We were not allowed to remove our helmets at practice. We ran 40 40-yard sprints every day at practice and we were put through drills much worse than up-downs.He pushed us, yelled at us and demanded respect. I have heard the same about Coach Hall from former players.You will also never hear a former player of either coach who does not hold them in the highest regard and is not thankful for what they endured. It made us men, installed discipline in our lives and no matter how hard life gets, I look back at what I went through and say, "This isn't bad after all."The coaches everyone holds in such high regard — Bear Bryant, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Woody Hayes and the list goes on — were hard-nosed, physical coaches. Everyone overlooks that sometimes. Look what the players of Bear Bryant went through in "The Junction Boys."The reason football has declined in Marion County is in part to the players and parents no longer being willing to pay the price. The kids have gotten soft and so have the parents.I only hope the coach is not fired over this and that other former players stand up for what is part of football, physical and mental toughness.David GoebelOcala

In response to the letter "The Obama nightmare," whose author claims he had a nightmare describing in detail a gloom-and-doom scenario if Sen. Barack Obama should be elected president, this "nightmare" comes about by the planting of seeds of obfuscations, fear and the no-substance, scare-tactic mantra that some in the Republican Party have used with success for the last 26 years.Now that Ronald Reagan's miserably failed ideology, the efforts to remove all government regulatory bodies and the trickle-down economics absurdity, has finally been exposed for what it is, and hopefully has come to an end, it did, however, succeed in bringing this nation and its people to almost a Third World status — which it could still become.These chronic nightmares may be caused by the following; Fox News, the propagandists on conservative radio talk shows or the George W. Bush administration, which all can induce abject psychosis. Or perhaps the same manifestation may have been just from downing a bad ham salad sandwich.Assuming the writer is awake and sober, the cold hard reality is that the state of the union is on the brink of total economic collapse, a shredded Constitution and predatory capitalism is happening now, today, and not some future aberrance in January 2009.Frank C. LombardoOcala

Republicans have made character the central issue of this election. Let's apply this criteria to Congressman Clifford Stearns.I ran against Stearns in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Stearns refused to participate in any and all candidate forums held throughout the 6th Congressional District, unlike state Rep. Larry Cretul or state Sen. Steve Oelrich and other Republican candidates.Unfortunately, Stearns is continuing this campaign strategy in 2008; he has yet to meet Tim Cunha. Most recently Stearns was too busy to participate in the League of Women Voters candidate forum, but Thursday Stearns found time to pose for Gainesville Sun photographers at the University of Florida and Saturday he watched the LSU game from the President's Box, and schmoozed with UF power brokers.In 1988 Stearns was elected on a pledge that he would serve no more than six terms, or 12 years, in the U.S. House of Representatives. After 20 years he retains power by maintaining a $2.3 million balance in his campaign account, bending House ethics rules to maximize his franking privilege to send campaign literature to voters, and avoiding any and all candidate forums.When is Congressman Stearns going to honor his term limit pledge?Stearns and his Imperial Republican Congress fully supported failed Bush policies from 2000 to 2007. Since 1988 Stearns consistently voted to gut financial safeguards. As the economy withers, Stearns grandstands for photo ops, but does not have the courage to debate policies, let alone defend his record.Republican incumbents statewide are avoiding candidate forums. Why? What does Congressman Stearns' refusal to participate in candidate forums say about his character or courage?To reclaim our democracy we need a congressman with character and courage. That man is Democrat Tim Cunha.David E. BruderlyGainesville

Locally, our Republican-dominated County Commission increased the county budget 67 percent in just four years. Republicans squandered our $30 million landfill replacement trust fund rather than build a landfill in "thoroughbred" northwest Marion County.Now, faced with a contested election, Republicans are delaying the truth about future tax increases needed to pay for garbage transportation and their $100 million-$250 million garbage incinerator.If Republicans start building that garbage incinerator, it will become a taxpayer-funded boondoggle that will be too big to abandon. November is our last chance to vote Republicans out, before it's too late.Statewide, not only have the Republicans squandered the surplus that was left by our last Democratic governor, Lawton Chiles, now, the Republicans want to crack open Florida's Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund, too. Even as Florida goes broke, Republicans continue creating record deficits while delivering fewer and fewer services. Our fate is clear.The citizens of Florida are becoming abject slaves to Florida's mountain of Republican debt.Nationally, Republicans have divided Americans while ballooning our national debt into the stratosphere. Seems our children's only inheritance will be the wind.So, even though I am an independent voter, I will vote solidly for the Democrats, because the last time Democrats were in control, Democrats delivered both services and surpluses.Craig WilsonOcala

In response to the letter "Tax and spend who?" (Oct. 8) I agree with the writer that every other letter to the editor evokes the tax-and-spend liberals giving our money to people who don't work. This is called freedom of speech.And I agree that a lot of my tax money helps pay for necessities such as roads, schools, bridges, our armed forces, etc. However, this is where my agreement with him comes to an end.As someone who has been in the work force, owned a business and paid taxes for over 30 years, I feel I have a pretty fair idea of how life works, and how a civilized society is supposed to support itself.In my mind, a civilized society is one in which you get back what you put into it. So therein lies my problem with my tax dollars going to people who don't work, who have not contributed in any positive way to our society, and who, in fact, feel entitled to support from the American government.Yes, I have a problem with our welfare program, which rewards women who have more children than they can afford with subsidized rent, food stamps, WIC and health care.I have a problem with programs that reward illegal aliens in the same way. I have a problem with the ideal that everyone is "entitled" to home ownership and health insurance. In fact, I have a huge problem with the word "entitled."To borrow a phrase, that's just not right! I'm voting Republican!Karen FulfordOcala